


Candy

by josthockeythings



Series: Nate and Tyson are in Love [4]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Not Much Happening Honestly, Some kissing, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 16:10:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14622294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/josthockeythings/pseuds/josthockeythings
Summary: Nate gives Tyson candy. He tells himself he won't fall for his teammate. (Not again, anyway.) But it happens anyway. Featuring Gabe and EJ being good-hearted dicks.





	Candy

**Author's Note:**

> So, I originally started writing this to write porn... that didn't happen, obviously. (Some of it is because I got lazy. Some of it is because I started this when I had writer's block.) SO fair warning this is really such a vomit of words and a massive mess. Please forgive me. This is not betaed so any and all mistakes are mine.  
> Also, there will very highly likely be a sequel that includes the porn that was originally intended for this one. (Rated mature for language.)

Nate hasn’t known many of the guys for long. He just started playing for the Avalanche sixish months ago. He’s already been accepted as family and spends most of his time hanging out with Gabe and Tyson. Gabe’s always talking about Ty’s insatiable sweet tooth. It’s always his go to chirp for him. The reason Nate finds it so funny, is because it’s true. Tyson is always eating sweets. He totally shouldn’t be and doesn’t know how the trainers let him get away with it. (The answer: he doesn’t.) 

One day, after a particularly bad loss, Nate sees Tyson is looking really down as they cross security to move onto their next game. He drops his stuff off by Gabe who says he’ll watch it. Nate goes into the nearest airport shop and finds the largest bag of chocolates he can. He drops them in Tyson’s lap when he walks back. Nothing can compare to the smile on Tyson’s face when he sees them. He beams at Nate in thanks. 

So that’s how it starts. At first, it’s only after the bad losses where Nate can’t bare the look of Tyson’s face anymore. He’ll drop some candy in his lap, or leave in it his locker for him to find the next day. Then, one day, Nate just has Tyson’s favorite candy in his backpack on the plane. It falls on the floor while he’s searching for his book. Tyson glances over, and his eyes light up when he sees it. 

“Are those for me?” he asks.

Nate swallows, caught. He sighs and grabs the bag. “Yeah. Here.” He drops the bag on Tyson’s lap.

“Thanks,” Tys says beaming.

Nate rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” 

Tyson is munching on his candy and periodically looking over and smiling at Nate. “What’s that?” Gabe asks, turning his seat  
around to face them. EJ follows, nose still buried in a book.

Tyson just smiles and pops another piece into his mouth.

“Did Nate get you those?” Gabe teases. 

Nate rolls his eyes and looks out the window. 

“You’ve been getting Tyson a lot of candy lately, haven’t you?” EJ asks. It doesn’t sound teasing, but jokes from him sometimes don’t. 

“Yeah, what of it?” Nate snaps.

EJ just smiles. It’s not a toothy grin, but a smirk, something he’s mastered without having to lift his lips. Nate hates it. They’re both too good of friends with Gabe to escape it. 

Tyson’s hand is gentle on Nate’s shoulder. “Hey, they’re just teasing, and I’m sure not going to complain about extra candy.”

Nate smiles a little at him. He always can see how Tys loves the candy he gives him, but it’s nice to hear it for once.

“You two are so gross,” EJ scoffs.

“Just kiss already,” Gabe teases.

Tyson flushes bright red, all the way down his next. Nate has to bite his lip and look away from the three of them. Tyson leans away from Nate, suddenly fiddling the edge of his suit jacket. Gabe rolls his eyes and turns his chair around again. EJ gives Nate another look before turning around too. 

There’s this awkward tension between the two of them the rest of the flight. Nate can’t look at Tys as the exit and sit down together on the bus. (Nate doesn’t know where else he would sit.) They are roommates, like always, and it’s awkward. Nate changes into something more comfortable to go to team dinner, but has to do it quickly in the bathroom because he can’t change in front of Tyson right now. He’s too keyed up, and honestly, mildly embarrassed. He can’t believe Gabe figured out his most guarded secret. Sure, he can wear his heart on his sleeve, but never enough so show his sexual preference. He’s learned to hide that for the sake of team dynamics. Jo was an exception. He thought Jo would be the only exception. And even still, he thought that no one would figure out when Jo was no longer the only exception. No one is supposed to know. No one knows.  
Except Gabe now, because Gabe sucks. 

 

After team dinner, he follows Gabe and EJ to their room. They let him in and sit down looking at him like they were expecting this.

“Well?” EJ prompts.

“How did you figure it out?” Nate asks.

“You weren’t exactly subtle,” Gabe says, chuckling.

“I… I,” Nate stutters, trying to find the words.

“Would you mind starting from the beginning?” EJ asks.

“Like, when did I know I liked boys?” Nate asks.

Gabe nods. “Sure.”

“Well, I knew sometime in middle school. I remember hearing the other boys in the locker room start to talk about girls, and  
honestly it was really gross stuff. But, I knew I didn’t think about girls like that. I dreamt about guys. I knew it was different. It was in middle school locker rooms when I first heard kids calling each other gay. It stung so much, even when it wasn’t directed at me. Then, in juniors, someone let loose that…” Nate pauses. He doesn’t want to out Jo. But, if he tells this story, they’ll know.  
The guys are looking at him expectantly, so he takes a deep breath. He can do this. He doesn’t have to say his name, and then they can’t know for sure. “That this guy on another team was gay, like actually gay. They were whispering it like it was such a scandal. Everyone was so sure, even if he’d never really come out. So, I started messaging him. We talked for a long time, and eventually, I came out to him. He was the first person I came out too. He was kinda shocked. He didn’t say anything to me for days. I thought I’d scared him away. But, he did talk to me again, and shared the same thing. So slowly, we kinda started this long-distance relationship. After a while, I asked him to join our team. So, over the summer, he came to our training camps and tryouts and made the team. So suddenly, we were actually dating. It was incredible, until we got drafted to different teams halfway across the country from one another, so we stopped. 

“Tyson, well, Tyson was just so hot. And we hung out all the time, and I couldn’t help it. I didn’t think I’d fall for a teammate  
again. Even swore it to myself, but I guess, sometimes shit happens.” Nate shrugs.

Gabe and EJ don’t say anything for a minute. “So… have you done anything about it?” Gabe asks.

Nate shakes his head. “Why would I? Nothing can come of it.”

Gabe and EJ glance at each other. 

“What?” Nate asks.

“Maybe… maybe you should pay a little bit more attention,” EJ says. 

“To what?” Nate asks.

“To Tyson!” the exclaim together. 

Nate sits back in his chair. They’re wrong. They have to be wrong. He stands, nods to them, and walks back to their shared room.

Tyson looks up from his phone from his bed on the far side of the room. “Hey, where were you?”

“Just with Gabe and EJ.” 

Tyson nods and hums. He looks back down without saying anything else. The thick tension is still there from the plane. 

“Do you wanna watch a movie or something?” Nate asks. He strips his shirt off, keeping his back to Tyson. 

“Uh, sure,” Tyson says.

“Find something. I’m gonna change into sweats.”

Tyson hums in agreement. The TV turns on behind Nate as he quickly strips his pants and yanks on some sweats. Tyson is sitting far enough to the middle that Nate makes the impulsive decision to go lay next to him. 

This is normal, he tells himself. This is what we always do. Tyson doesn’t say anything about it, just glances at Nate before continuing to flip through channels.

“Anything good on?” Nate asks.

Tyson shakes his head. They finally just land on HGTV and stick with it. They lay back against the pillows, arms not touching, the tension more palpable than it’s been. It only takes about fifteen minutes for it to fade as they judge the homebuyers on screen for certain paint colors and whatnot. Tyson falls asleep on Nate’s shoulder, and like hell he’s gonna move him. So, he carefully scoots down the bed until they’re lying on the pillows and, Nate can wrestle the blanket out from under them. He falls asleep with Tyson tucked in the crook of his arm, and it’s the happiest he’s been in a while. 

 

He’s not surprised that Tyson isn’t with him when he wakes up. He hears the shower running and knows where he is though.  
Nate stretches the sleep out of his body and sits up. He’s rubbing his eyes when the shower stops, and Tyson walks out in a towel.

“Sleep well?” he asks, rummaging through his suitcase.

“Yeah. You?”

Tyson nods. “It was good.”

“How long until breakfast?” Nate asks. 

“About ten minutes. You better hurry.” Tyson tosses a shirt at Nate with a smile, like nothing is wrong. And maybe nothing is.  
They sleep on each other on the plane, on the bus, even sometimes at home when they fall asleep on the couch. 

Nate groans as he gets up. He changes quickly next to Tys. They walk down to breakfast together where Gabe and EJ are staring at Nate pointedly. Nate rolls his eyes and scoots into a booth, Tyson following suit. 

“Sleep well?” EJ asks.

Nate sneers and grabs Gabe’s coffee, who squawks in indigence. 

“Yeah,” Tyson says, glancing wearily at Nate. “You okay?” he says quietly leaning into Nate’s side.

Nate nods, not really able to focus with so much of Tys pressing to him. The waitress comes up then to take their drink orders  
and bring more menus. Nate orders a coffee pushing Gabe’s back to him. Tyson also orders a coffee. Nate’s already decided what he wants to eat and finds it easily enough on the menu. Hotels like this always have scrambled eggs with sausage. Tyson is talking to EJ, not really looking at the menu either. Nate knows his order too, kind of like he knows how Tyson takes his coffee and what his preferred drink is at the bars. He knows Tyson’s favorite movie and favorite ice cream. (Not like that one’s hard.)  
But aren’t those normal best friend things? Nate’s pretty sure Gabe knows the same things about EJ. So, why do they think Tyson is just as into him as he is? 

Their coffee comes, and Nate takes a long gulp. It hits him hard. Boy, does Nate love coffee. He’s at least able to keep up with the conversation now. Nate must be still half asleep because he receives a shift kick to the shin.

“Ow!” He glares at Gabe, then notices the waitress.

“He’ll have the scrambled eggs with sausage on the side,” Tyson says, smiling at the waitress. 

“Toast?”

Tyson nods. “Thank you.”

The waitress nods to them and takes the menus from the table.

“Thanks, man,” Nate says.

“Still tired then?” EJ teases.

“Oh, fuck off,” Nate groans. He rubs his hand along his face.

“It’s cool. It’s not like I didn’t know what you wanted,” Tyson says. His face is so earnest. Nate just wants to kiss him. 

From there breakfast is normal, well for everyone except Nate. He doesn’t know what to do. He can’t believe Tyson likes him. If he does, that leads to too much hope and things falling apart. 

 

He still doesn’t know exactly what to do a few days later. They’re in another city, traveling around the country. Now, they’re in Buffalo. It’s cold as balls, but it’s not like Nate’s not used to it. Nate walks into their hotel room. Tyson is already sitting on the bed going through TV channels. Nate puts his suitcase down then drops Tyson’s favorite candy into his lap. He collapses on his bed without waiting for Tyson’s response. 

“Nate?” 

Nate jumps at Tyson’s hand on his shoulder. He sits up and looks at Tys. He’s giving Nate a soft smile and holding the candy in  
one hand. “Team dinner is soon. And thanks for these.” He leans down and kisses Nate’s cheek softly before stepping out of the room. 

He left Nate in utter shock. Tyson just kissed him. On the cheek sure, but that’s got to mean something. He feels like he doesn’t  
know how to move, or like he’s trying to move through jello. He struggles to get dressed down for dinner. Just jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket, but it feels so much more difficult. 

He does make it to the bus on time. He sits next to Tyson, because he can’t not. Nothing is different though. Tyson plays with  
his phone, popping candy into his mouth every so often. 

“Dude you gave him candy before dinner?” Gabe exclaims as he passes them. “You’re going to ruin his appetite!” He ruffles  
Tyson’s hair, who is glaring at him, before sitting down behind them with EJ. 

“Oh, fuck off,” Nate mumbles. “I can give him candy whenever the fuck I want.”

That gets some cat calls from others on the bus. Nate flips them off, while Tyson turns a deep shade of red. 

 

When they get back to their hotel room, Nate is just going to change into sweats and turn on the TV like always. He plops down on the bed in front of the TV (Tyson’s) and starts scrolling through channels. It isn’t until he almost settled on a channel, does he realize Tyson hasn’t joined him yet. 

“Tys?” he calls looking up.

Tyson comes out of the bathroom, looking a bit sheepish. 

“Dude, what’s up? Are you okay?” Nate asks, suddenly very concerned.

Tyson nods. “I just…” Tyson takes a deep breath before continuing. “I just need to tell you something… and I’m not sure how it’s  
going to go.”

Nate’s brow furrows in concern as Tyson sits down next to him. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”

Tyson nods. “This is a little different though.” He chuckles, trying to defuse some of the tension. Nate puts a hand on Tyson’s knee, thinking it will help. If anything, Tyson gets more tense. His shoulders rise a little, and he sucks in a quick breath. Nate thinks about taking his hand back, but he doesn’t because this is Tyson. He loves Tyson. Fuck. He loves Tyson. Nothing about that is going to change. Teammate or not. Friend or not. Requited or not. He loves this man sitting next to him. Fuck it. 

“I love you,” he blurts, almost without realizing it. 

Tyson starts, looking wide-eyed at him. “What?”

“I love you,” Nate repeats. 

Tyson blinks a couple times, then leans back, almost like he doesn’t trust the words coming out of Nate’s mouth. “Is this a joke? Did EJ ask you to pull one on me?”

“What? No, fuck no Tys. I love you. I really, really love you.” He puts his other hand over Tyson’s that’s resting on the bed.  
“Probably a little too much.”

Tyson stares at him for another minute, long enough to make Nate think he really fucked up. But then, Tyson is pressing his lips against Nate’s and everything is okay again. Nate’s surprised at first, of course. (His best friend just fucking kissed him after he confessed his love.) But, he’s able to relax into it. He cups Tyson’s mouth and deepens the kiss. This is what he’s wanted forever and now, it seems, he gets it. 

Tyson pulls away with the biggest grin on his face. “I love you too.”

Now, it’s Nate’s turn to blink in surprise. “Really?”

Tyson nods. “That’s kinda what I wanted to tell you. But, you beat me to the punch.”

Nate laughs, then kisses Tyson softly again. 

“You wanna cuddle and watch TV?” Nate motions to the TV behind them.

Tyson breaks out laughing. He lets his head drop to Nate’s shoulder, where he gives him a quick kiss. “Yes, please.” 

Nate smiles. They lay down together and curl up. Nate curls around Tyson’s back who holds their hands against his chest as they watch some stupid show. They make put a bit before they fall asleep, but don’t do much more. Nate might feel up Tyson’s chest because who wouldn’t want to touch their boyfriend some, especially when he’s as good looking as Tys. 

 

 

The next day, they sit across from Gabe and EJ for breakfast like always. Gabe looks up from his coffee and says, “Fuck, did you two finally get your shit together? I thought I’d have heard some action last night.”

Tyson flushes while Nate raises his eyebrows. EJ hits Gabe’s shoulder and holds out his palm. Gabe waves him away. “Later.” He  
leans forward, propping his head on his hands. “So, you two really didn’t get it on last night after confessing your feelings for one another?”

Nate just flips him off. “You bet on us?” Tyson exclaims, mock hurt. 

“Of course, we did, bear. Do you really think we’re above that?” EJ scoffs. 

Nate rolls his eyes. He turns and forces Tyson too look at him. “What-“ he starts, but Nate cuts him off by planting one on him.  
Gabe whistles, and EJ just looks smug. Nate stares the two of them down before saying, “No, we didn’t get it on last night, but had I known you were listening I would’ve made him scream just to punish you so you’d have to listen to it and hear it every time you looked at us ever again.”

Tyson flushes a deeper red while Gabe’s eyes widen. 

Well. Now, Nate has something to live up to after the game tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed. Please leave comments about what you thought. (Like I said before, I know its a vomit mess.) but still... all are appreciated.


End file.
